Vanessa LeBlanc – Program Coordinator of Physical Therapy Assistant Program

The Instructional Program Review Board is a body designed to review, assist, and make recommendations to the instructional units of Jefferson State Community College in both their yearly assessment records and three-year program review. The members who sit on this committee should represent instructional units across the college and at multiple sites.

Assessment records occur annually as part of a planning and evaluation process for any instructional unit. They are based on student learning outcomes set by each program. The record looks at enrollment trends, student performance, and attainment of student learning outcomes. The primary purpose of the record is to answer the question, “Does the program meet acceptable levels of performance?” It provides early warning signals, which allow program faculty to deal with concerns before they become problems.

The Three-Year Program Analysis is designed to address those issues central to program quality and the teaching/learning process. The primary purpose of review at this level is to provide information, which can be used to answer the question, “What can we do to make this a better program?” In answering this question the analysis concentrates on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the program. Analysis of quantitative aspects provides a context within which more qualitative judgments about appropriateness; effectiveness and adequacy can be made.

The Instructional Program Review Board will contribute to analysis and judgments, which will provide the basis for planning and program improvement. It examines the program’s relation to the college’s purposes or mission, enrollment trends, student performance and satisfaction with the program. The curriculum, instruction, external relationships, the adequacy of program support and resources and the program’s progress in responding to the recommendations of previous evaluations are analyzed. Recognizing that all programs have unique aspects, the analysis provides for flexibility in the evidence and methods used in analyzing the program. While the review emphasizes institutional concerns, it also addresses the external concerns of agencies such as Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education and SACS-COC.